Various communication systems are used to enable inmates of prisons and other institutions to talk with loved ones, friends, attorneys, and others who are outside of the institution. Unfortunately, inmates and these outside parties are not always able to connect due to availability, timing, and call restrictions. For example, an inmate may try to call home to the inmate's mom during calling hours set by the institution and happen to call when the mom has stepped out, has a visitor, or is otherwise not available. Similarly, an inmate may be unable to contact an attorney if the attorney is on another call, in court, or otherwise unavailable.
In addition, inmates are generally unable to receive calls from outside the institution. Conventional inmate phone systems have employed phones that are shared by multiple inmates and located in common areas. Since there was no way to identify which inmate an incoming call was for, since inmates are often not able to access the phones (e.g., while the inmate is in his or her cell, during meals, etc.), and since there would have been significant issues identifying who pays for incoming calls, such in-bound calls have generally been prohibited in confinement institutions. The inmate's family and contacts outside of the institution are thus often required to wait for a call from the inmate, which is burdensome and often results in calls occurring at inconvenient times and places and prevents the outside party from contacting the inmate for emergencies and urgent matters.
Recently, confinement institutions have attempted to use wall-mounted kiosks for video visitation. Unfortunately, these wall-mounted kiosks are used infrequently by inmates, with the result that call or other revenue associated with the kiosks is often insufficient to justify the costs of installing the kiosks and providing the services thereon. Moreover, these devices have generally not solved the issues preventing inmates and contacts outside the institution to connect with one another at convenient times or based on the outside party's need to contact the inmate. Similarly, existing tablet device systems that use tablets that are shared between multiple inmates also have not adequately addressed these issues.